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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24476044">Away From It</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouAreMyHappilyEverAfter/pseuds/YouAreMyHappilyEverAfter'>YouAreMyHappilyEverAfter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Here I Am And I Stand So Tall [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Gravity Falls, Steven Universe (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Keep Beach City Weird, Post-Gravity Falls, Post-Steven Universe Future, Road Trips</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:54:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,598</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24476044</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouAreMyHappilyEverAfter/pseuds/YouAreMyHappilyEverAfter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Steven Universe has dealt with a lot over the past few years, but now it's time that he find himself, and somewhere to call his home. His first stop on his road trip brings him to what seems to be a cute little forest town over on the West Coast called Gravity Falls. The locals seem just a little odd, but the scenery is beautiful, and the food ain't half bad either! What could go wrong?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Here I Am And I Stand So Tall [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767889</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>157</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Away From It</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey there folks, to some of our newer readers, welcome! To give you a bit of background in this, this series is going to span multiple different fandoms, you can read it all, or only decide which ones to read if you'd like. (Don't worry, at the end, Steven gives us a big ole recap so you can catch up on what you missed.) In these authors notes, you will see me refer to 'we' or 'us' fairly frequently. That's because this is a shared account between two authors. This is Kas currently typing up this author's note (Hi, that's me! ^^) and my partner (rp partner, romantic partner, life partner) will typically go by either Nomi or Kit. Don't worry, they're the same person. These fics are written by us collaboratively, so to keep our own works pages clear, we put them on their own account.</p><p>To our older readers, I'm sorry. I know it's been a while and we haven't updated much, but we're here with a new series that's already completed!</p><p>Feel free to read the whole series, or only some parts of it. Steven will give a recap at the end, so you'll be able to know what you missed! Thanks for giving us a chance, and happy reading! ~Kas</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Rolling into town, Steven looked around. There it was! He'd heard about the cute little bed and breakfast that this place had. He could spend a week or two here easy. Seemed like a cute little town with a nice, quiet forest backdrop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Parking his car, he got out and headed into the building. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jealous Grapes Bed and Breakfast.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Well that sounded pretty darn cute! There was a girl at the counter, but she looked a lot more interested in her phone, than in anything else. Still, Steven put on a smile and walked up to the counter. “Hi there! Do you have any rooms available?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl finally looked up, looked him over, and then turned her head. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Mom! Dad! You got a customer!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Then she was back down to looking at her phone again. Huh. Alright. Reminded him a bit of Lars.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He heard whispering from a back room before a woman was poking herself out. “Well hello there! We don’t get many visitors outside of tourist season!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven laughed quietly, smiling at her, “Oh, yeah. I’m, uh, not in school, so I’m just road-tripping around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman cooed, “Well, isn’t that sweet! We’ve got a great room available upstairs. How long are you lookin’ to stay, dear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably a week? Maybe two?” She was really nice. That was sweet. Although something seemed just a little… off. But Steven must have been imagining it. Come on! After everything in his life, nothing could top the whole gem empire thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sorted out his stay and payment, and Steven shot her a grin again. “Thanks for this,” he told her. Well, he better head back to his car and grab his suitcase.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Getting back out onto the street, Steven opened his car door and grabbed his suitcase out of the backseat. He shut the door and turned around to the sidewalk- Woah! Steven accidentally bumped into a little guy, immediately stepping back. “Woah, sorry about that. You alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kid seemed to take a minute to get his balance. “Aw, shucks, I’m peachy keen! Don’t you worry about lil’ ole me!” What was that </span>
  <em>
    <span>accent?</span>
  </em>
  <span> That was </span>
  <em>
    <span>adorable!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw,” Steven gushed, laughing and ruffling his cute little pompadour. “Sorry again. You have a great day!” With a nod to himself, he carried his suitcase back inside and carried it up to the room he’d rented. The people here in this town just all seemed so… So </span>
  <em>
    <span>nice</span>
  </em>
  <span> and dandy. He could really stay here for a good week. It would be nice, and Connie was supposed to be flying out to visit that nearby college!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Speaking of Connie, Steven set his suitcase down and grabbed his phone out of his jacket pocket, dialing her up. Good thing spring break just started. It didn’t take long for her to pick up. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hey, Steven! You settling in?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he told her, moving his phone so she could see the room. “This place is pretty cute. I’m in that Gravity Falls town. So far, people here seem pretty nice!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie laughed at him, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>People always seem nice to you. But your room does look pretty cute and cozy. I’ll be out there in two days, and we can go check out that college. Can you believe there’s a college with a supernatural degree program? Honestly, I’m kinda thinking about minoring in it, if I decide to go there. Hm, maybe a double minor…</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chuckled, “Maybe don’t totally overload yourself just yet? Decide if you even wanna go to this school or not, y’know? But no, there was this kid out on the street, and he was so </span>
  <em>
    <span>cute</span>
  </em>
  <span> with this little pompadour, and this most </span>
  <em>
    <span>adorable</span>
  </em>
  <span> accent, and even this little suit! Oh, if you’d seen him, you would have said the same thing, Connie.” Glancing to the nightstand, his eyebrows rose. “Oh, hey a travel brochure!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Connie sighed, giggling and brushing her hair back in that cute way she did. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You’re right, that does sound cute. And a travel brochure is great! Do they have any cute tourist-y things to do?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably. The lady downstairs said that they don’t often get people outside of the ‘the tourist season.’ I’m happy to give them some business, if that’s the case!” Steven laid down on the bed, unfolding the brochure. “They have a lumberjack kind of diner, that sounds pretty great. And hey, this sounds cool. ‘The Mystery Shack.’ I’ll check it out later!” Huh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>The Mystery Shack? That does sound cool!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Connie laughed, smiling at him through the phone. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe you’ll have to pick me up a souvenir.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Or you can pick yourself up one in a few days when you visit the school," he pointed out to her. This place sounded pretty neat. Maybe this would be a nice place to settle down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Aw, but then it wouldn’t be something that </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>you </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>picked out for me,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Connie pouted, Steven already feeling himself waver.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, alright, fine," he finally huffed, smiling at her. "I'll get you something nice."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you, Steven,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Connie laughed, smile bright and beautiful. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Alright, I’ll let you get settled in. Don’t try to do everything in one day while you’re there!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll do my best. Love you, Connie." He waved at her, smiling as he sat himself back up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie’s cheeks flushed as she smiled brightly before murmuring a soft, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I love you, too.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Beaming, Steven hung up the phone before looking back at the brochure. Mystery Shack. Sounded cool, at least!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was later in the day, after a bit of relaxing and napping, that Steven finally drove down to check out the Mystery Shack. It seemed a little old and worn, but there were plenty of people exploring, it seemed. Seemed like a few teenagers were having some fun throwing… toilet paper at each other. That kid from earlier, too. Alright, then. He looked up at the sign. Aw. Poor thing looked like it needed some tender love and care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Making his way through the war they seemed to be having, Steven got to the entrance and stepped inside. It was honestly pretty incredible! It seemed like a museum to a bunch of old, weird stuff that was half-creepy and half-cool to look at. He had a feeling Connie would love to inspect some of the stuff out on the shelves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reading the sign, Steven hummed, "Huh." Gift shop. Perfect! He was shopping for a gift! Peering around the shelves, he looked over when the bell on the door rang. The guys from outside were coming in now. And they felt… cautious. Wary. Hm. He hoped that wasn’t because of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tours aren’t for another few days,” a teen at the counter called out, flipping through a magazine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, that's alright. I'm just looking around right now," he told her, looking over- "Oh, wow, your hair is really pretty! Is that natural?" The girl looked up at him, giving him a very serious stare before she smiled. That was good, right? Although, it looked more like a smirk, then anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it is, actually. Feel free to look around, just be warned that the prices are pretty high for everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright, thanks." Steven hummed to the quiet music playing- Oh, that was perfect! A cute little snow globe! Connie would love it! He walked over to the counter with it, setting it down gently. The song changed and he looked over at the radio with a grin. "Hey, Sadie Killer and the Suspects!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know Sadie Killer? Seriously?” The teen gave him a bit of an odd look before rolling her eyes. “Let me guess, you have a friend or a sibling that never shuts up about it, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, I know those guys! You know, they started out with the other guys just having a jam sess in Sadie's room. My Dad managed them."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your </span>
  <em>
    <span>dad </span>
  </em>
  <span>managed them?” She raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, Sadie's a really good friend. We all kinda grew up together, she worked at the Big Donut and I got snacks there, like, every other day," he told her with a grin. "Her and Shep's newer music is really sweet. So, how much for the snow globe?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven waited until the girl laughed - laughter was good, right? - before ringing him up. “Hm. Just for that story, three bucks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, cool!" He grinned, grabbing out his wallet. "Y'know, I've got plenty more where that came from."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah? How many stories and how much time you got?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven gave an easy shrug, “I don’t really have plans. Y’know her ex died and got resurrected out in space?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” There was that smile again. “And how exactly did her ex die and then get ‘resurrected?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a snort from behind him, Steven startling and looking to see a younger teenager who was probably thirteen or fourteen. “Wendy, don’t encourage the crazies. That’s Stan’s job.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a bit of a huff, Steven grabbed out his phone. He’d find a picture of them. “He was saving these guys from getting shattered — basically killed — cause he’s human, and the shattering robonoids weren’t tracking humans. My tears brought him back to life, though,” he said, showing her a picture. “See, there’s me, and Sadie, and that’s Lars.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa. That’s a heck of a photoshop job. He actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>does </span>
  </em>
  <span>look pink,” the girl - Wendy - laughed. “Dude, Dipper, you gotta check this out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get it from my mom,” Steven said, glancing to the other kid, ‘Dipper’ as he walked over, squinting at the photo and looking back up at Steven.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, your tears can bring people back to life, huh?” Wendy grinned, looking down to Dipper. “Still got that zombie spell?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven rose an eyebrow. “Zombie spell?” Okay, he was definitely missing something here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing,” Dipper waved off. “And no. Mabel blood-oathed me to never use that spell again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Huh. Alright then. He handed over the money, “So, when’s that tour thing? You said in a couple days.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, should be like three days? You’d probably enjoy it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds cool.” Brochure! Oh man, this was so going in his road trip scrapbook. “My girlfriend would definitely get a </span>
  <em>
    <span>kick</span>
  </em>
  <span> out of this place. Is any of this stuff for real?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Depends on who you ask.” Wendy shrugged, looking back down to her magazine. “Everything in this shop? Probably not very ‘for real.’” Aw man. That was kind of a let down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, guess I’ll be back in a few days,” he said, picking up the snow globe with a smile. Connie was gonna love it! It was just </span>
  <em>
    <span>adorable! </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Make sure to bring more crazy stories! We love those here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speak for yourself,” Dipper grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Crazy,” Steven muttered to himself as he left. “My stories aren’t crazy. I dismantled an empire, thank you very much!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly. Next time he would just call Sadie up to </span>
  <em>
    <span>prove </span>
  </em>
  <span>his point! Right now, though, he was kind of hungry and that small diner had looked really good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>☆</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not only had the diner </span>
  <em>
    <span>looked</span>
  </em>
  <span> good, but their food had been delicious, too! It was really nice to get away from everything for a while. Getting back to his room, Steven thought, considering, before finally pulling out his phone and dialing the gems. It didn’t take long before Pearl was answering, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Steven?! Is that you!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven couldn’t help his laugh, laying down on the bed. “Hey, guys.” There was immediately more shouting in the background, Steven making out Amethyst’s voice before it was bright and clear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hey there, dude! How’s everything going on wherever you are?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything’s pretty good right now, if a little weird. I’m all the way in </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oregon</span>
  </em>
  <span> right now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a struggle over the phone, and then Pearl’s voice, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oregon? My, that is quite a ways - although I’ve heard it’s absolutely gorgeous over there.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, the forests around here are </span>
  <em>
    <span>amazing.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’m gonna stay out here a little while, probably go on a hike or two. Connie’s gonna visit a college out here, then I’ll head up to Cascadia after.” He leaned over, picking up the snow globe. “Lookit this! I got it for Connie! You think she’ll like it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I think she’ll adore it, Steven,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Pearl smiled at him. Then her smile twitched. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Where exactly are you at right now?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Some cute little town called Gravity Falls.” Pearl’s face fell and Garnet snatched the phone, looking at him seriously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Steven. Be cautious. Strange things happen in Gravity Falls.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Huh. Well, Steven had already kinda picked up on that, but… “Garnet, I’m a half-human half-alien being that spent two years in space using my magical belly button to liberate aliens.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Garnet was silent for a moment, finally nodding. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>True, but if you hear the name Bill Cipher then please leave as soon as you can. And I’m not saying that as a gem.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Normally, he would think the gems were overreacting like they always did, but… “Alright. Cipher. Fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Oh, jeez, Garnet actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>slumped. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I won’t delve too far into it, but think Yellow, except crazier, more violent, and absolutely murderous - with infinite power.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Alright, okay, fine. I’ll be careful and junk. I just wanted to update you guys and everything.” Garnet went off the screen and Amethyst was back on it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Thanks for the update! We love you a bunch, dude, so make sure to call us whenever you can- Hey! It’s my turn with the phone-!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pearl, this time, smiling warmly at him. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>It was great to hear from you Steven, and everyone here is safe, sound, and going about their lives.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” He smiled back at them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. I love you guys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all said their goodbyes, and Steven texted Connie goodnight before plugging his phone in and rolling over. Hm, seemed like a good time if any to sleep. He had a feeling he’d need a lot of sleep for all the traveling he had ahead of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>☆</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was official. Steven loved hiking and would never say a bad word against it. It reminded him a lot of when he trained with Jasper only </span>
  <em>
    <span>greener </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>calmer </span>
  </em>
  <span>and he was less likely to get a rock thrown at him. He took a deep breath in and held it before letting it go. The air felt so </span>
  <em>
    <span>nice.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He could tell there was just a hint of the sea air he was used to in Beach City, but this air somehow felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>cleaner.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Steven decided right then and there he was gonna hike a lot more as an Adult.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Plus the woods were so gorgeous? It was a type of forest Steven had never seen before, but it was just so </span>
  <em>
    <span>beautiful. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Connie would probably love at least looking around some of the forest before she had to go back. Maybe they could- Hello, that was weird. Was that a statue? Out in the middle of the woods?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven frowned, walking closer. Looked like… a triangle with an eye, and a top hat? Wow, that was probably the weirdest thing about this place. And he had a hand sticking out. Like he was trying to… shake someone’s hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Staring at the statue a good, solid moment, Steven took a step back. After all the crazy in his life, he had learned to at least </span>
  <em>
    <span>try </span>
  </em>
  <span>to listen to his instincts, and right now? Right now they were screaming at him to </span>
  <em>
    <span>run.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Steven took a few steps back, still staring at the statues. “Okay. Right. Note to self. Never touch creepy statues half-buried in a deep wood.” He wasn’t sure </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> he felt, but he felt… power. He needed to turn right around and </span>
  <em>
    <span>leave. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully it didn’t take him long until he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>well </span>
  </em>
  <span>away from the area and the creepy statue that was probably evil in some way. Steven shivered, shaking himself off. Okay. He would hike in different forests. Far away from whatever the heck </span>
  <em>
    <span>that thing</span>
  </em>
  <span> was. He looked up and oh. He was at that Mystery Shack thing again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That teen from yesterday - Dipper? - was out and staring right at him before blurting out a pretty loud, “Did you just come through the forest?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…” Steven looked back at the forest. “Yeah?” He brushed himself off, “You guys know there’s some </span>
  <em>
    <span>really creepy</span>
  </em>
  <span> statue in there?” Oh, wow, Dipper could pale as quickly as Pearl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you touch it? Did you shake it’s hand? Tell me you didn’t shake it’s hand.” Ah, right, cool. Glad his instincts were right, then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. “No </span>
  <em>
    <span>way.</span>
  </em>
  <span> That thing was giving me way too many creepy vibes.” Turning, Steven glanced to the forest again. He didn’t use the word lightly, but… “Is that thing evil?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wha- Aha, evil? I mean, pft, c’mon. A statue can’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>evil.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Uh huh. “But, uh, just don’t touch it, okay? It’s like… a landmark. Or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven looked at him before finally shrugging. “Trust me, I’m staying away from whatever that thing is. I know to be careful around big, powerful, evil stuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh… huh.” Dipper stared at him for a long moment and then narrowed his eyes. “Where’d you say you were from?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’m from Beach City, over in Delmarva.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait- Beach City as in Keep Beach City Weird?” Keep- Oh! Steven would have to tell Ronaldo that there was a fan of his in Gravity Falls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, I didn’t know that </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone</span>
  </em>
  <span> outside of Beach City followed Ronaldo’s blog,” Steven chuckled goodnaturedly. “Yeah, the very same Beach City. Small world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hang on. You said your name was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Steven.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Dipper looked like he wanted to either back away or laugh. “Like… Steven Universe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, Ronaldo put me on that blog too, huh?” Steven stuck his tongue out at that. “Yep, the one and only.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, uh, cool. So, yeah, uh, enjoy your walk or whatever, I’m just gonna… go.” What a weird kid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That sister of his stuck around, still sitting out on the deck. Steven smiled at her, waving before he turned and started to whistle. Guess he better make his way back to town. Beyond the weird statue thing, Gravity Falls was looking like a great place to stay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>☆</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven was happily wandering around town when he heard the sound of a familiar portal tearing its way into existence behind him. He turned and beamed as Connie and Lion landed. “Connie!” The minute she slipped down off Lion with her backpack, he was wrapping her in a hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie was laughing and hugging him back at once, kissing at his cheek, “Miss me that much?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chuckled, holding tight onto her hand even when they pulled out of the hug.. “Always. Oh! Come on, I can grab that gift I bought for you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You actually bought me something?” Connie beamed, letting Steven pull her along and holding back just as tightly. “What’d you get?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll just have to wait and see! Come on, Lion. What time is your college tour at?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Two o’clock,” Connie said, leaning against him with a happy, soft sigh. “So, what first, Mr. Road Trip expert?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, first, we’re gonna go get your gift, then we’re gonna go to your college tour, then we’re gonna go to just the </span>
  <em>
    <span>cutest</span>
  </em>
  <span> diner! We can probably walk around town — don’t go walking in these woods. There’s some really creepy statue in there with a bunch of power, and it’s definitely evil.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Evil, huh?” Connie frowned, looking towards the woods. “Hm, okay. I’ll make sure to keep it in mind. Oh, how was that Mystery Shack place? Any good?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The shop is really cool. I haven’t seen much there, they said there’s a tour tomorrow though, I thought you’d really have fun with that.” He grinned, pulling her to the Jealous Grapes. “There’s also this guy there, younger than us, he follows Ronaldo’s blog! How weird is that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? Wow. Ronaldo is gonna love hearing about that. Any idea how much the tour is going to cost?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh yeah. I guess I didn't ask." He shrugged, grinning at her as he brought her up to his room. "Okay… Close your eyes!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alght, alright, I’m closing,” Connie laughed, eyes indeed shut as she gave him a smile. Steven walked over to the night stand, picking up the snow globe before bringing it over to her with a beaming smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. You can open.” Steven watched as Connie opened her eyes, looking to the snow globe with a confused look before bursting into laughter and jumping into Steven’s arms. "Woah- Wow! I didn't know you'd like it </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> much!" He laughed, easily catching her in his arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s perfect,” Connie giggled, burrowing against him before pulling back to give him a short, sweet kiss. “I love it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s yours now,” he told her, blushing maybe a little. “So, let’s go tour that college!” Conniei laughed, finally pulling away to set the snow globe down before grabbing Steven’s hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds perfect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t take too long for them to get through the tour of the college, Connie carrying out brochures and contact numbers and still chatting about the programs as they headed back into town. He led her into the diner, still holding one hand. “Yeah, that one sounds really cool if you decide to do it. I had dinner at this place yesterday. Connie, their food is </span>
  <em>
    <span>so good.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“High endorsement,” Connie said, hiding a laugh. “I suppose we’ll see just how impressive it is after I’m done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’re at least narrowing down your search, right?” It seemed like Connie was looking at every college in the country. The two of them sat in a booth, Steven thanking the nice old waitress that gave them their menus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m starting to, at least,” Connie sighed, setting her brochures aside and tangling her feet with Steven’s as she opened her menu. “I don’t know… There’s a lot more choices than I thought there would be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He flushed a bit, glancing at her over his own menu. “Well, I hope you figure it out soon. You’ve only been studying for the last year,” Steven teased her gently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You hush,” Connie hugged, ducking down behind her menu to hide a grin. “What about you? How’s the traveling going so far?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pretty good so far. I’m still keeping in touch with the gems, and with Dad, but it also feels pretty good to have Beach City in the rear view, you know? I’m starting to move through everything that happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s great to hear, Steven,” Connie said, reaching out to squeeze his hand with a soft smile. “Also, any reason why a kid would be switching booths to try and get closer to us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven frowned, sitting up a bit. “A kid? I-” Wait a minute. If this kid read stuff like Ronaldo’s blog… “Kinda short? Brown hair, with the weird wintery looking hat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup,” Connie nodded, grin starting to widen. “You’ve only been here a day and a half, right? And you’re already getting attention?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He said that he read Ronaldo’s blog. Ronaldo’s mentioned me on his blog like once or twice, so I guess I’m a little bit </span>
  <em>
    <span>known,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Steven said with a roll of his eyes. “That guy was actually the one that </span>
  <em>
    <span>basically</span>
  </em>
  <span> told me the statue in the forest was evil.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so a kid who knows about weird stuff and, considering Ronaldo, you’re probably the weirdest thing in town right now.” Connie paused, lightly nudging him under the table. “Weird in a good way. A good weird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven snickered, “Gee, thanks, I guess? Does that make me famous, or something?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe it does,” Connie laughed. “Alright, what’s good here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! I tried the Big American burger last night, that was pretty good. I think I’m gonna go for some Cheesy Greasy Fries, though. Those sound </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm… I think I’ll try the burger and then steal some of your fries as needed!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh- </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mabel!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Before Steven said anything to respond to Connie, he heard the small shout and looked over to see Dipper’s sister pulling him over to a booth. Huh. Alright, then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, guess it wouldn’t be my life if it wasn’t a little weird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie laughed, giving him a bright grin, “What’s life without a little weird, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a nice meal at the diner, Steven took Connie back to his room at the bed and breakfast. “I’m so glad you’re spending the night out here, Connie. It’s really nice out here. The air is just different, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get it,” Connie laughed, sitting down on the bed before collapsing backwards. Lion had parked himself on the rug in the room, stretched out with a happy face. “And of course. I’m always happy to spend the night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It felt natural, the two of them changing into their pajamas before they slipped into bed, Connie curling around Steven’s back. He smiled at the warmth, settling down properly. It was nice. “G’night, Connie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Night, Steven,” Connie said softly, curling more around him before giving a soft little sigh that had Steven relaxing the rest of the way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>☆</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t take long after waking up before Steven was dragging Connie out for breakfast, then pulling her along to the Mystery Shack. He wanted to see what this ‘tour’ thing was all about, after all! Connie was happy to follow after and point things out, making comments and future plans for both of them and it was… it was great. “Oh! Is this it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, this is it. I think it’s pretty neat.” He was glad she liked it so much! But he didn’t get why those two were always hanging around this place. Maybe they knew the owner or something?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It could definitely use a fresh coat of paint in some places.” Connie pulled him towards the entrance, looking around. “Hm. Seems a bit like a tourist trap.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A tourist trap? What’s that?” Sounded not good, really.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie paused, thinking for a moment. “It’s a place that’s typically filled with weird or fake things with overpriced gift shops to make money off tourists that are passing through.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven thought it over. “Huh. Well, at least it’ll still be fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what? You’re right. If nothing else it’ll be an experience,” Connie laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And we're all about that, aren't we?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They entered, and Steven grinned at the girl at the counter. "So, there a tour today?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wendy looked over her magazine, staring at them for a moment before grinning, “Yeah. You guys interested in hopping in, I take it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sounds fun, at least," he told her with a grin as Connie looked around. He knew she'd dig this place. And the twins were inside again- Huh. The sister —  Mabel —  had a rainbow sticker on her cheek. That was cute! He smiled and waved at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mabel waved back enthusiastically, Dipper giving him a suspicious look, and, alright. Probably thought he was some type of threat somehow. No big deal, Steven would just prove he was here to visit and have a nice time. In fact… Steven walked over, still smiling as he put his hand out. "I don't think I properly introduced myself before. Steven Quartz Cutie Pie DeMayo Diamond Universe."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mabel was squealing and jumping forward at once, shaking his hand eagerly, “Your name is </span>
  <em>
    <span>so great! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hi! I’m Mabel and this is my twin brother Dipper. We’re Pineses and our Grunkles own the place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven tilted his head. "Your Grunkles?" Alright, that was a new one he'd never heard of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great Uncles-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hang on,” Dipper cut in. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Diamond? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Like… </span>
  <em>
    <span>the Diamonds</span>
  </em>
  <span> from the blog?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven immediately winced, scratching at the back of my head. "Yeah… Best way to explain it is they're basically my aunts. Mom's side."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, what’s Diamond mean?” Mabel looked between them, grinning widely. “Sounds </span>
  <em>
    <span>sparkly.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, my mom, she was Pink Diamond — a matriarch of the Gem Empire back on Homeworld." He lifted his shirt to show her his gem. "She and I can't both exist, so she passed her gem on to me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dipper just stared at him while Mabel only gave him a soft smile, “Sorry to hear about your mom, but at least you’re here, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aw… </span>
  <em>
    <span>Aw,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and he could tell she was being genuine, and that was so sweet! "Thanks," he told her with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie was at his side, holding up her watch- Her watch? "If my count is right, that took thirty-seven seconds."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thirty-seven seconds?” Steven blinked at Connie and what was that supposed to mean?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"From the moment of introduction to the moment of friendship," Connie told him with a grin. "Lapis was right, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> getting rusty."1</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mabel gav a bright laugh, beaming at them both. “I like you two! Are you staying here long?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not for long," Connie said with a shake of her head. "I was just checking out a college nearby."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm just staying a few more days. I'm trying to see all thirty-nine states right now."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, a road trip!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The college nearby? I’ve heard good things about that,” Dipper chimed in. “My uncle might know more. Which program were you looking at?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, I'm probably looking at a political science major, but this one was interesting with that supernatural degree program, so I might double minor in that and sociology if I decide in this school."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Huh. It might’ve taken even less time for Connie to make friends with Dipper. Steven must’ve been rubbing off on her. “You should talk to my uncle, he’s all about that kind of stuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hm. I might just take you up on that." She smiled, holding her hand out. "Connie Maheswaran. The idiot with the gem is my boyfriend."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey," Steven said with a frown, which immediately fell away when Connie gave him that sweet smile of hers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you,” Dipper said, shaking her hand. “You guys really want to go on the tour, though? It’s kind of lame.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It sounds like it could be funny if nothing else," Connie said with a shrug. "I'm on spring break, and I'm ahead enough on my school work I can slack off a couple days."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your guys’ loss,” Dipper shrugged. “There should be a tour starting in ten minutes or something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven turned to Connie with a smile, opening his mouth to speak before… he heard the radio. He gently moved her to the side, walking closer and listening. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>...I can take a stand. I can make an effort, if I only understand that I… I can make a change.</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No way. "She stole my song?!" That was definitely Sadie- She stole his song! Why did she steal his song?!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Steven Universe, huh?” Wendy grinned down at him. “Song started with her saying it was cover and then doing a shout out to a Steven Universe who originally created the song. Looks like you were telling the truth, dude.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> song I sang in the middle of the big climactic injector battle- Hang on," he huffed, stepping away and pulling up his phone, dialing and holding it to his ear. "Dad?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hey, kiddo! What’s up? How are things going?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why am I just now hearing Sadie on the radio with my song? It's great and everything, her voice is perfect, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>what in the stars?!</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Your- Oh! Oh.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” His dad’s voice went from understanding to regretful and why regretful. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>So, uh, hey, Schtu-ball, there might have been something I forget to ask you.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Dad!</span>
  </em>
  <span> That was my emotional self-realization near-death-experience song with Spinel!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>So should I have Sadie pull it from the set?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span> don't have her pull it from the set, did you hear how great she makes it sound? It perfectly fits her new vibe with Shep!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a laugh over the phone, Greg saying a soft, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay. If it ever happens again I’ll be sure to check in with you first, though. Sorry for not telling you sooner, kiddo.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're still in big trouble, Mister. Give Shep and Sadie my love, though." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You know I will. Talk to you soon, Steven.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bye Dad," Steven sighed, rolling his eyes to Connie with a smile. "Love you." He hung up the phone, looking back at her. "He forgot."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie laughed, shaking her head with a grin, “Of course he forgot. She really </span>
  <em>
    <span>does </span>
  </em>
  <span>sound good, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Right? Gosh, she's amazing. She deserves, like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything.</span>
  </em>
  <span>" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie smiled at him, grabbing his hand. “Alright, alright, enough gushing. We have a tour to get through, after all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once their 'tour' started, Steven immediately had his camera out. "Aw, Connie, lookit this! Perfect scrapbookortunity!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a loud, </span>
  <em>
    <span>loud </span>
  </em>
  <span>gasp, Steven looking over to where Mabel was </span>
  <em>
    <span>beaming. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“You use scrapbookortunity, too?” Oh- Oh! Someone else who got it!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven </span>
  <em>
    <span>beamed</span>
  </em>
  <span> at her. "I thought I was the only one!" Someone else that used his word!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>was the only one,” Mabel squealed, jumping forward and taking out her phone. “Scapbookortunity for new friends!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Aw!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Steven grinned, posing for her picture. It was the most </span>
  <em>
    <span>adorable</span>
  </em>
  <span> thing! As soon as the picture was over, Steven watched Dipper walk over to Connie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have one too, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie snorted, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh</span>
  </em>
  <span> yeah.” She was looking at one of the ‘monsters’ in a plastic case. “So, I’d bet anything that for every three fake things in here, one thing is real.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something like that,” Dipper smirked, giving a shrug. “Guess you’ll just have to take the tour and find out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven turned to the counter. “So, how much for a tour for two?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wendy hummed, looking at the ceiling for a moment and then grinning. “Twenty for both of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cool!” Steven dug through his wallet, pulling out a twenty and handing it over to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wendy stashed it in the cash register and then raised her voice, “Yo, Soos! Got two kids for a tour, here!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven frowned at that, looking down at himself. “I’m seventeen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wendy shrugged, raising her voice again, “Soos! Correction, you get a couple teens to show around!” Connie giggled at his side, but it wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>funny!</span>
  </em>
  <span> He’d looked like he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>eight</span>
  </em>
  <span> for six years! He was finally grown! He deserved to at least be acknowledged as a teenager!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Coming!” Barely seconds later and a man was sliding into the room, looking at him and Connie before sighing in… relief? “You two here for the tour?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, totally,” Steven said with a grin, wrapping his arm around Connie’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great! Then follow Mr. Mystery - that’s me - right this way and let’s get this tour started! Be warned, though, everything that you’re about to see has the complete possibility of being </span>
  <em>
    <span>real.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” The complete </span>
  <em>
    <span>possibility?</span>
  </em>
  <span> So some of it wasn’t real? That was kind of a let down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven didn’t have too much to be disappointed about, though, because even if some of it was fake a lot of it </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>look really neat. Plus Steven loved hearing Connie’s little mutters and giggles and explanations on things. “You know,” Steven said with a laugh, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “We were right. Even if none of it’s real, it’s still pretty fun.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t say </span>
  <em>
    <span>none </span>
  </em>
  <span>of it is real,” Connie mused, taking a picture of one of the items. “But you’re right, this is fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, what’s this thing?” Whatever it was, it looked broken. Why would they put something in one of the cases and show it off if it was broken? “Memory Gun?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the infamous memory gun! One shot of it and your entire </span>
  <em>
    <span>memory </span>
  </em>
  <span>can be erased!” Oh, wow. That seemed dangerous - and reminded him of the Rejuvenator. “We keep it here in honor of the great Stan Pines and the sacrifice he made for all of Gravity Falls.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jeez, Soos,” a man huffed behind them, causing Steven to spin around and summon his shield- Oh. Human. Letting his shield disappear, he smiled nervously at the others who were now staring at him. The older man, for his part, seemed to </span>
  <em>
    <span>stare </span>
  </em>
  <span>before looking to Soos, “Stop ending with that story. It’s weird. If you got to do it at </span>
  <em>
    <span>least </span>
  </em>
  <span>put up a donation jar or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes sir, Mr. Pines, sir!” Steven frowned, looking back at the Memory Gun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Sacrifice?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it, kid.” Uh huh. “What you </span>
  <em>
    <span>should </span>
  </em>
  <span>be worrying about is visiting our wonderful gift shop!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh… I already have. Thanks.” Alright. Kinda weird. Wait a minute. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Another</span>
  </em>
  <span> set of twins? Jeez. Was it just really common in this area or something? Maybe it was a family thing?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stan! Did you find the cause of these levels?” Stan’s probable twin asked, staring down at something in his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah,” he snorted,  nodding and still looking at Steven. “Definitely found it.” What was that supposed to mean?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could ask the other man was coming over, the device in his hands beeping before he was looking at Steven, “Hm, I haven’t seen levels like this since Weirdmaggaden.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie stepped in front of Steven, her arms crossed. “Can we help you, sir?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yes. I’m a scientist who studies beings who give off ‘weird’ energy and, according to my readings, your companion is giving off enough readings to register quite high on the scale.” Connie didn’t say anything, but she drummed her fingers against her arm. Why was she so upset? Steven didn’t get it. He thought she liked scientists!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh… ‘weird energy?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yes! It all pertains to the Grand Unified Theory of Weirdness, something I discovered quite some time ago, now.” Uh… huh?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven blinked, shaking his head. “The Theory of what now?” Oh man… This sounded a lot more like Connie’s kind of department.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me,” Connie said, narrowing her eyes further. “I’ve never heard anything about a ‘Theory of Grand Unified Weirdness.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"'Grand Unified Theory of Weirdness,'" he corrected, looking proud. "It's unlikely you would, my dear. It's my own theory. Gravity Falls is an epicenter for weird happenings, of course. Weird always attracts weird," he said, holding up a hand- Woah. Six fingers. That was cool. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, but all I’m hearing right now is that you’re accusing my boyfriend of being… weird, which, alright, he is a little, but not, like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>scientifically- </span>
  </em>
  <span>Well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But he is!” He showed them some machine with some needle thing like in those ghost hunter shows, and the closer it got to Steven, the more haywire it got. Cool. Maybe?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stan stood behind him, rolling his eyes. “He was dropped on his head as a kid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Makes sense,” Connie muttered, staring at the device. “So it detects… ‘weirdness’? In what way? What qualifies as weird?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, a good blanket starting point would be to say anything considered supernatural or otherworldly. Anything that is not a common human experience.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Is that all?” Connie looked to Steven with a small grin, and, yeah, he guessed it would go off around him in that case. “Okay. That’s fine, then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven grinned, shrugging. “Yeah, easiest way to put it is I’m half-alien.” The others all stared at him, Dipper the first one to speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>explains it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep, that’s Mom’s side,” he sighed. “It’s… really complicated,” Steven finally settled on, taking a picture of one of the displays. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s harmless, though,” Connie said, leaning over to look at the picture Steven had taken. “Oh, that’s a good one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wha- </span>
  <em>
    <span>Harmless?!</span>
  </em>
  <span> I dismantled a malevolent dictatorship, thank you very much!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm. Of course.” Connie distracted him by giving him a soft kiss to the cheek, and, alright, it was hard to even </span>
  <em>
    <span>pretend </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be upset when she did that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tour, unfortunately, didn’t last much longer after that, and Steven and Connie were stepping outside to enjoy a bit of the sun before Connie had to head back home. It was nice, though, to be able to go on cute dates and stuff with her without worrying about the gems, or parents hanging around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This was actually really fun,” Connie sighed softly, leaning into his side with a soft hum. “Today was wonderful, Steven.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, well, jeez, you know. You’re always worth it,” he told her, squeezing her hand. He glanced over to the twins walking with them, then he felt Connie’s hand slip out of his? She was pulling away? What the- He turned towards her to ask what was wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie was surrounded by </span>
  <em>
    <span>weird little things </span>
  </em>
  <span>trying to pull her away, Connie looking weirded out before she was reaching for her sword, “Alright, just </span>
  <em>
    <span>what </span>
  </em>
  <span>do you think you’re doing?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were immediately backing away. “Woah! That’s a- That’s a pretty sharp sword you got there!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mabel was the one to step forward. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span> are you guys doing?! We’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>talked</span>
  </em>
  <span> about this!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where… were you hiding that?” Dipper asked Connie hesitantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Under my shirt, of course,” Connie rolled her eyes. “It’s not as if I can just carry it around in public.” Steven watched Mabel shout at the little… </span>
  <em>
    <span>things</span>
  </em>
  <span> before Connie looked at her. “Don’t worry. I think my method is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> more… effective,” she said, brandishing her sword before she started to swing it. She wasn’t even hitting them, but it was definitely enough to scare them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was barely a few minutes before they were all scampering off, Dipper giving a laugh, “More effective than anything else we’ve tried. Sorry about them. They’re… really dumb.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What were they even doing? What did they </span>
  <em>
    <span>want?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A queen,” Dipper rolled his eyes. “They usually go after Mabel when they’re here, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A… queen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie laughed. “Wow. I almost feel flattered!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before they could continue their conversation, Steven’s pocket was beeping… “Oh jeez,” he sighed. “‘Scuse me, I gotta take this,” he said, stepping away and pulling out his phone. “Hey guys, what’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Steven! We were told you were going on a ‘road trip’ and we wanted to check in with you!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Who told you?” Whoops, that sounded rude. “I mean, yeah. Everything’s going great. I’m actually across the country from Beach City, right now,” he laughed a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>We just wanted to make sure everything was going well and you were having fun,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Blue said softly, smiling. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s good to hear you laugh, as well.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven grinned at them, “Aw, jeez, Blue…” They were really making an effort, and he really appreciated it. “Yeah, it’s really nice to be exploring what else Earth has to offer, you know? I never really realized it when I was a kid, but there’s a whole </span>
  <em>
    <span>world</span>
  </em>
  <span> outside of Beach City!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course there is,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Yellow laughed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“And we’re happy to show you around other planets if you ever want to extend your trip to outside your own world.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. But for right now, I’m fine staying a little closer to home. Thanks for checking in, though.”</span>
</p><p><span>“</span><em><span>Of course. We’ll call again soon.</span></em> <em><span>Take care, Steven, and stay safe.</span></em><span>”</span></p><p>
  <span>Steven grinned at them. “I will. Thanks, guys. I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The call ended with a loud, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>We love you too!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” It really was kind of sweet of them to check on him - even if he was still trying to figure out how they even </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew </span>
  </em>
  <span>about the trip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Putting his Communicator away, he turned around, walking back over to them. “Hey. Sorry about that. Family, y’know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, definitely,” Mabel nodded, Dipper only staring at Steven for a long moment before shaking his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still better than Bill, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven flinched, just stopping himself from throwing a shield up. “Bill… who?” Dipper froze, staring at him for a long moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just… someone who we had to deal with last summer. A real jerk that we finally took care of.” Uh huh. Except Steven could </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel </span>
  </em>
  <span>Dipper’s fear at just mentioning the name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie was frowning at him, tilting her head. “Steven?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Took care of… So like… Not a problem anymore? At all? Whatsoever?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time it was Mable and Dipper to share a look, Mabel finally looking back with a teasing grin, “Just don’t go shaking any hands of stone statues in the forest and we’re all good!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh stars,” he murmured quietly. Alright. Maybe Garnet had had a point. Who knew there were places like Beach City? But… Not just like Beach City. That thing had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>evil. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Steven?” Connie gave him a small nudge, voice quiet. “You okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Garnet… mentioned something about all that,” he told her. “Said if I heard the name to run the other way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. That’s, uh… that’s probably not good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he said quietly, shaking his head. “Come on, Lion should probably be taking you home. Isn’t there some time difference something or something?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something like that,” Connie laughed, squeezing Steven’s hand. “Fine, fine, I should be getting home. We still on for that weekend I’m going to spend with you at the end of the month?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course we are,” Steven told her, pulling her in for a tight hug, and kissing her cheek as Lion stood, drawing attention to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You have a pink lion?!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven looked at Mabel, laughing. “Inherited.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s so </span>
  <em>
    <span>cute and fluffy!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Mabel squealed, reaching a hand out towards Lion. “Here, kitty kitty.” Lion looked over, blinking at her lazily before yawning and stretching himself out. Mabel, undeterred, only cooed as Connie laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie climbed up onto Lion, Steven walking over and petting his mane, laying his head against Lion’s. “Hey, bud.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lion gave a happy rumbling noise, pushing against Steven and near knocking him over. “Lion misses you the most,” Connie chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, I miss you too, buddy.” Steven reached up, squeezing Connie’s hand. “Tell your parents I said hi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Connie smiled, squeezing his hand back. “See you soon, Steven.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Love you," he told her, Lion running around the small clearing before roaring out a portal, the two of them traveling through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw,” Mabel whined, frowning heavily. “I forgot to take a picture of your lion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, that's alright. I've got tons of pictures of Lion. I can send them to you, if you want," he told her with a grin. "If you're okay with me having your number." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course!” Mabel was holding  out her phone at once with a wide grin. “Be prepared, though, because I send my friends </span>
  <em>
    <span>bunches </span>
  </em>
  <span>of pictures!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Aw, shoot, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> pictures!" Steven input himself as a contact. "If things were a little less weird out here, I'd consider this as more of a permanent thing. I'm going cross country, trying to see everywhere before I decide where to settle down."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh. That sounds kind of cool,” Dipper said, looking at him for a moment before handing his phone over to Steven as well. “This way I can send you any weird stuff Ronaldo might like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, sure- I don't talk to him all </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> much, but I can get the message passed on. There was this incident a couple years ago where </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> tried to be a Crystal Gem…" It still made him cringe to think about. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I know just enough to know that’s bad,” Dipper snorted, shaking his head. “How much longer are you here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Probably a couple days. I'm planning on heading up to Cascadia after this. You ever been?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, but I’ve been wanting to go.” Dipper took his phone back, Steven feeling his own phone buzz a moment later. “Feel free to send Mabel pictures, though. She loves pictures of anything, basically.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, you're into otherworldly stuff, right?" Steven grinned, sending him a few pictures of his intergalactic travels. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dipper looked down at his phone, eyes widening before Steven saw him starting to save every picture sent. “So, if you want to send me more pictures, that’s cool too.” Steven laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, there are perks to having aunts like mine." Some of those perks involved pictures from space. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! If you’re staying a few days then we should hang out some more!” Mabel beamed, near bouncing. “We can show you all the cool stuff in Gravity Falls!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay… Cool stuff like what?" he asked, looking between the two of them. Hopefully they had similar ideas of cool.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, you already saw the gnomes, but I promise there’s way cooler things that </span>
  <em>
    <span>won’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>try to kidnap your girlfriend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven laughed. “Yeah, she’s all the way in Delmarva by now, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>hope</span>
  </em>
  <span> they don’t try to kidnap her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait- That lion managed to teleport them all the way to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Delmarva?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Dipper stared, shaking his head. “That is… wow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. He’s teleported us to my mom’s base up on the Moon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s able to go to the moon and take you with?!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mabel groaned, looking up as if giving up on life. “Great, now you made Dipper go into his crazy conspiracy mode.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Okay… But Steven got to have a </span>
  <em>
    <span>little</span>
  </em>
  <span> fun. “Yeah. And you haven’t even seen inside his mane.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What… What’s inside his mane?” Okay, yeah, this road trip had </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>been a great idea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snorting, Steven stuck his hands in his jacket as he followed them. “Just a pocket dimension full of pink grass, some stuff my mom left behind, and two trees representing him and a human I accidentally resurrected when I was fourteen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He counted five seconds before he had a twin on either side and almost hanging off of him, Mabel asking loudly about the pink grass and trees and Dipper almost yelling, “You brought back someone from </span>
  <em>
    <span>the dead?!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven couldn’t help but to smirk. “I told you so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You- But- I didn’t- </span>
  <em>
    <span>You gotta tell us everything.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>✩</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a week and a half before Steven was finally ready to leave Gravity Falls - although it had been a fun week and a half. Dipper and Mabel had been fun to hang around, and learning about Gravity Falls had been fun in it’s own way - weird, but fun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for everything,” he told them, drawing Mabel into a hug. “This is all </span>
  <em>
    <span>totally</span>
  </em>
  <span> going in my road trip scrapbook.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It had better!” Mabel hugged him back just as tightly. “And I hope you find what you’re looking for on your road trip.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, so do I.” Once Mabel let go of him, he smiled at Dipper. “Come on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, we can just fist bump, or whatever,” Dipper muttered, Steven keeping his arms open before Dipper was sighing and moving to hug him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry. I’m a hugger.” He hugged Dipper extra tightly. He was a good kid. Just had to stop using his big brain so much of the time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You and Mabel both,” Dipper complained, hugging him back after a long moment. “Make sure to text us every now and then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will. I promise. I’ll even make sure to text you guys if I run into anything else ‘weird.’” Which, if their uncle was right, he would. Weird definitely attracted weird.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll send you pictures too!” Mabel beamed, darting in to give him one last hug. “And don’t worry so much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled, hugging her back. “Thanks. Being out here actually really helped me realize something about myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Mabel beamed, pulling back to look up at him. “What was it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For as strange and messed up as my life might be… It could always be a </span>
  <em>
    <span>heck</span>
  </em>
  <span> of a lot worse.” The both of them burst into laughter, and, yeah. This had been a good idea. "I better head out. I'm supposed to meet up with Lars soon."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have fun!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Try to find stuff not as weird so you can actually relax.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smiling, Steven waved at them, walking back to his car. Time to put Gravity Falls in his rearview, and start a new journey.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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